


I Will Follow You To Whatever End

by emmerlii



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M, Frodo Baggins - Freeform, Lord of the Rings, M/M, Multi, Sam Gamgee - Freeform, Samwise Gamgee - Freeform, rose cotton - Freeform, rosie cotton - Freeform, the lord of the rings - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-09-28 11:19:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10097807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmerlii/pseuds/emmerlii
Summary: Follows Sam's time in The Shire after Frodo has left for Valinor before he also leaves The Shire many years later.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter one: To Valinor

 

Frodo Baggins has just left for Valinor, and Samwise Gamgee, his best friend, can't help but feel torn in two. He left for the Grey Havens; the one place where he could heal from all of his wounds and sorrow caused by what he went through during the War of the Ring.

Sam knows that he must continue on with his life now that has master is gone. Frodo gave him a red leather book. “The last pages are for you, Sam.” He had said before he walked onto the ship. Sam opened the book and read a few lines. It was Frodo's script, and he couldn't help but silently weep.

He followed Merry and Pippin back home. They parted ways when they reached Crickhollow, and Sam went on into Hobbiton. He walked up the lane, and he was met by his young daughter Elanor. He picked her up, and out of the door came Sam's wife Rosie, and the latest edition to the family, Frodo.

“Well, I'm back,” he said as he kissed Elanor's cheek. He walked into his hole and closed the door. He missed Mr. Frodo terribly, but he knew that one day he would join his master again.

***

Frodo Baggins felt just the same as Sam; he felt as if he was torn in two. It had been very difficult to leave Sam and everyone else behind. But in his heart, Frodo knew that the only way that he was to recover from his quest was to go to the Undying Lands.

He was sitting by the wall of his cabin for the journey on board the ship. He was sitting on his bed when Gandalf came in with a tray of tea. “Hello, Frodo, are you all right?” he asked when he saw Frodo's tear stained face. “This is for the best, Frodo. You know that, don't you?”

“Yes, Gandalf, I understand. It's just that I have lived in Hobbiton nearly my whole life, and it hurts terribly to leave everyone behind, especially Sam.” Fresh tears were now silently sliding down his face. He was biting his lip to stifle the sobs.

Gandalf saw this and he picked Frodo up and sat him on his knee in a fatherly gesture. Frodo cried into the old Wizard's chest loudly. He couldn't control it anymore. He had to let it out so that he would have a chance to move on with his life.

After a while, when Frodo had quieted down, Gandalf set him upon his bed and Frodo soon fell asleep. Gandalf put a light blanket over him and shut the creaking door as quietly as he could.

Elrond, Bilbo, and Galadriel were sitting down at a small table, eating from a small bowl of fruit and talking. Gandalf sat down with a sad face.

“How is Frodo, Gandalf?” Elrond asked after a while, putting a grape in his mouth.

“I have never seen the lad so devastated. It breaks my heart to see him like that. But he knows that it's for the best, and that there was nothing else that could be done,” Gandalf helped himself to a banana. He couldn't really stomach anything else. After a while he spoke again. “I think we had better leave him alone for a while until he is ready to come out. But, Bilbo, I think it would benefit Frodo very much if you checked on him from time to time. As we all know, you have left many things behind as well.”

Bilbo had stopped eating and was now fiddling with his fingers and looking at the ground. He had tears in his eyes. “I will do what I must to make him feel better until the end of my days,” he said after a while.

When everyone had finished eating, Bilbo decided to go and check on his cousin. Frodo was lying on his back, and he had just closed his eyes when he heard the door open. As much as Frodo loved Bilbo, he would have preferred to be left alone, but he knew that Bilbo thought he was doing what was best.

“Frodo, are you sure you’re feeling okay? We can talk about it if you like,” Bilbo said as he sat on the edge of Frodo's bed.

“I'm all right, uncle. I would rather be left alone if you don't mind though.”

“All right then, lad, but please, don’t hesitate if you want anything,” he kissed Frodo's forehead and left the room, closing the door gently.

Fresh tears were now falling from Frodo's eyes, and sliding down his cheeks. He wiped them away and fell asleep again.

***

Sam was lying in bed and was thinking about Frodo and all the fun times he had spent with him before the War of the Ring. He had woken up after he dreamt that the ship going to Valinor had sunk, and that he would never see Frodo again. The dream left him shivering from a cold sweat that had broken out on his skin. “That would never happen to an elven ship,” he muttered to himself.

He found that tears were forming in his eyes, and he moved closer to Rosie who snuggled her head into his chest. “Are you all right, Sam?” she asked in a whisper before falling asleep again.

Sam had his arms wrapped around his wife, looking up at the ceiling and trying to get back to sleep. Eventually he did, but the bad dreams continued.

He woke again a few hours later, and decided to get some fresh air outside. The air was cold, sending shivers down his spine. He looked over to Bag End. It was dark and closed up tight. Frodo left it to Sam, saying that Sam and the rest of the Gamgee’s could move in whenever they liked. Sam felt that it would be intruding on Frodo's home and  
belongings, and he told himself that he would only ever move into Bag End if it was completely necessary.

After a while, he heard the front door open and close gently. Rosie had come out, and she wrapped her arms around Sam’s waist and bent her head onto his shoulder. “Are you  
okay, Sam?”

“Yes, I'm all right Miss Rose. It's just that today would mark the fifth anniversary of Mr. Frodo being stabbed and all. I do hope he's all right,” Sam felt fresh tears rolling down his cheeks. Rosie kissed his lips and hugged him tightly before she led him back to their bedroom.

Just inside was Elanor. She’d heard her mother go outside and had decided to follow, though Rosie had shut the door before Elanor was anywhere near it. Sam picked her up and caressed her cheek and put her back to bed. He sang her a soft lullaby before taking Rosie's hand and leading her into their bedroom.

The next day, Sam felt nauseous and scared, not his usual talkative self. The date was October six, which marked the fifth anniversary of Frodo being stabbed on Weathertop by the Ringwraith.

This was Sam's natural reaction to this day, whether Frodo was there or not. He hoped that Frodo was okay. He decided to spend time today to finally start his tale in the Red Book.


	2. A New Addition

It was the summer of 1425 in the Shire reckoning, and Rosie Gamgee was now pregnant with her third child. Sam had been holding her hand as the contractions started. Merry and Pippin were present, though Pippin had gone to fetch the doctor from over the Brandywine.

Soon, the doctor came and he helped deliver a beautiful girl with sandy blonde hair. Pippin was sitting on a chair nearby asleep. He had sprinted fast down the road and hadn't stopped since he had returned. It was Merry's turn to hold the infant. “She's so light,” he said as he carefully cradled her in his arms.

“What is to be her name?” the doctor had asked after a silence. Pippin was now awake, and he was holding the baby, though he was showing signs of nodding off again Sam took the little girl from his arms before handing Pippin a blanket.

At length, he said “I think she kind of looks like you, Rosie,” he said with a smile. He gave the young baby to Rosie who cradled her.

“Yes, I do too,” she said. They all agreed that the new baby would be called Rose.

Soon, everyone left Rosie and the newborn in peace. The doctor went back over the Brandywine and Merry, Pippin, and Sam got talking about little things. “Might get a bit squashed in here,” Pippin said after a while, looking around the small smial.

“It might, Mr. Pippin, but we’ll see what will happen in due time.”

“Didn't Frodo say that you could move into Bag End?' Pippin asked, stealing some crumbs from a plate that once held some cake.

“He did, but I'm not quite sure if I should move in, if you take my meaning,” Sam said, looking at the ground.

“No, we don't,” Merry and Pippin said in unison.

“Well, I mean, I kind of feel like if I moved into bag End I would be placing myself in Mr. Frodo's belongings; with all his furniture and such. I know he said that I can have it, but I'm not sure if I should take up the offering.'

***

The next day, Sam got up early to check on Rosie and his new daughter. He opened the door and Rosie was playing with her new baby. Sam sat on the bed and kissed Rosie's forehead. “Oh, Sam, She's beautiful!' Rosie said.

Elanor and Frodo were playing with their new sibling on the bed when Sam returned with some milk. “The doctor told me you have to keep your fluids up,” Sam said. He helped Rosie sit up and he helped her drink. She was feeling much better with a lot of her strength returned, but Sam still felt the need to dote on her.

Later that day, while Rosie was asleep, Sam was just outside her window weeding the garden underneath. He came across a flower that was yellow and pink. A Deledrium* he thought it was; a rare type of rose. He picked it carefully and went inside. He found a vase for it and put it on Rosie's bedside table. He kissed her head gently and closed the door.

***

Frodo was now starting to get used to life in Valinor, though everything still seemed a bit strange. He had tried to keep track of the days, but he soon gave that up when it proved too hard. Elrond did vow to him that he could keep track of when the Shire New Year was.

Frodo wasn't all happy to sleep in a house, either. Though the elves had built it to make it look like Bag End as much as they could, with a green door and round windows, it still didn't feel like home.

The house was small, but it was two stories. Frodo had taken it upon himself to take everything down from the top story and move everything into the lower level. This took several days, but he was happy to have found that the sleeping arrangements had been made downstairs. “Gandalf probably told them that,” Frodo said to himself.

The first night that he slept in the Undying Lands was awful. He couldn't sleep, and the mattress was lumpy. He was very much reminded of sleeping outside all those years ago. He decided to sleep on the small sofa. He took his blankets from his bed and tried to find his way around his new surroundings, which was difficult as he kept bumping into things.

He found the sofa after landing on it when he had bumped his head on the higher cupboards in the lounge that were full with blankets and pillows. He went to sleep sadly. He was still thinking about Sam. He was still wondering how he was supposed to be parted from Sam for the rest of his life. Sam had been like a brother to him and it broke Frodo's heart to let him go. He missed his friend terribly, and he would have given anything to see him again.

In the morning when the sun had risen, Gandalf knocked on his door gently. Frodo got up, but soon fell down again. He had a gash on his lower leg. “Gandalf, I can't answer the door right now so please come in,” he called out to the wizard.

Gandalf stepped in and closed the door, and saw Frodo sitting on the sofa with a cut on his leg. “And what happened to you last night?” The wizard asked, placing his hands on his hips.

“Well, the mattress on my bed is too lumpy so I tried to find my way to the sofa out here. I must have bumped my leg on something, I don’t know what, though,” Frodo said, looking around for any sharp places in the nearby rooms. He couldn't find anything, and his stomach started to growl.

Gandalf laughed. II think it's time that we got some food into you, Frodo Baggins. How about some toast and jam? I’ll go and see what the Elves can prepare while you get ready for breakfast. I will come and get you when the food is ready,” Gandalf got up and closed the door to Frodo's small home.

Frodo sat on the couch for a little while longer before searching his surroundings for his clothes. In his closet was the last place that he checked, and he found all his clothes folded neatly and all his other belongings stored away.

He got dressed and he found a basin in the small bathroom. He filled it up with warm water and dunked his head in. The water soothed him. He decided to put his injured leg in and soothe it as well, because it was starting to throb. Afterward, his leg was feeling much better, and he was drying his hair when there came a soft knock on the door. Gandalf  
had come to fetch him.

“It’s time for breakfast now, Frodo. Do you feel up to it?”

In the time that Frodo had been waiting for Gandalf, he had begun to think about Sam again, which made him terribly sad. He stifled his tears and gave a small sniff, and welcomed the wizard as cheerfully as he could.

Gandalf spotted Frodo’s sadness almost instantly, but he didn't question it, so as to not put off Frodo's stomach. He ushered Frodo outside and Gandalf put his hand on Frodo's shoulder. “The Elves have prepared some jam and toast. Though, they thought it best to not toast all the bread in case you changed your mind. The bread has been freshly baked and the jam has been made almost instantly.” Frodo smiled at this and soon his stomach rumbled again.

***

Later that afternoon, Rosie woke up and saw Sam sitting on the side of the bed, cradling young Rose in his arms. He had a huge smile on his face. He turned around when he felt the bed move, and looked at his wife. 'Good afternoon, Rosie,” he said in a whisper. He got off of the bed and put the infant in her cradle. He came back to Rosie who now smelled the flower that he had picked for her earlier.

“Sam, where did you find such a beautiful flower?” The scent of the flower was honey mixed with the scent of trees after it has rained. She continued to smell it for some time, breathing deeply each time.

“I found it while I was weeding under the window,” Sam said.

Rosie sat up and kissed her husband. “I love it, Sam! I love you,” she embraced Sam and soon laid down with her hand in his and they fell asleep on the bed.


	3. Elanor Finds Out

1427 is the year of the Shire reckoning. Sam and Rosie Gamgee are spending a lovely picnic out in the lower fields of Hobbiton while Frodo and Elanor run around and have fun, and little Rose is busy with her little stuffed toy that was sent to her for her first birthday a few months ago. Rosie was sitting on Sam's lap with his arms around her. They sat together comfortable under the shade of one of the tall elm trees, enjoying the breeze that was passing through. Frodo and Elanor came over to them and asked them to tell a story. The only story Sam knew in full was his journey with Frodo, so he decided to tell them a little bit of it. After a while of pondering which part he should tell, he thought of telling them about when he and Frodo saw the Oliphaunts, anything else would have been too dark for such young halfings.

Of course, he didn't tell them that the Oliphaunts were evil, and used for evil deeds. “They were tall and magnificent,” Sam said. Rosie had now fallen asleep, her head rested on Sam’s shoulder, Sam stroked her arm with his thumb.

He told them a little bit about Gollum, though he kept Stinker’s description to a minimum. All he said about Gollum was that he was particularly nasty. 

When Sam had finished his short tale, they decided to go back home. The sun was starting to set, and the temperature was dropping.

When they got back to number two, they decided to go to bed. Sam tucked Frodo in, and Rosie tucked Elanor into bed. “Mummy, what happened to Mr. Frodo?” she asked her mother before falling asleep. Rosie wasn't sure how to answer this so she ignored the question. Soon, Elanor and Frodo were fast asleep, and Sam and Rosie decided to go to bed as well. The day had been long, and it was now very cold, they were looking forward to snuggling up to each other under the covers of their bed.

“Elanor asked me something as I was tucking her into bed,” Rosie said as she was pulling the covers back and getting into bed.

“What was it?” Sam asked with a little smile as he too climbed into bed and put his arm around Rosie. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat while she talked.

“She asked me what happened to Frodo.” Rosie gave a sigh.

“What did you tell her?” Sam asked. Frodo had left for Valinor years ago, and Sam was finally able to talk about him openly without feeling sad. He still missed his friend deeply.

“I didn't tell her anything. I waited for her to fall asleep before taking your hand and coming in here. I wasn’t sure if I was the right person to tell her.”

Sam thought for a moment before replying. “I think if anyone is going to tell her, it’ll have to be me.”

Rosie didn’t respond, instead, she laced her fingers together with Sam’s. “I’ve got something else to tell you, Sam. I’m pregnant,” she said, smiling broadly.

“That is wonderful news, Miss Rosie! A new addiction to the family is going to be so exciting!”

Rosie kissed Sam deeply, and eventually, she fell asleep on his chest, lulled by the soft thump of Sam’s heart.

The next day, Sam got up and out of bed early, he wanted to surprise his family with some bacon and eggs. He had secretly bought the bacon yesterday while Rosie was asleep. He got fresh water for the flower that he had picked for her yesterday, and then made a start on the bacon and eggs.

Elanor was the first to rise out of bed, saying that she smelled something good. When everyone had finished eating, Sam started with the dishes. Elanor remained at the table.

“Da, what happened to Mr. Frodo? I asked Ma last night but she didn't answer me.”

Sam’s heart thudded in his chest. He had been expecting the question, but he was also hoping it would be one of a million that children asked and quickly forgot about. “Just let me finish with the dishes, love, and then we can talk.”

In Sam's mind, he was wondering where he should start, and if Elanor was old enough to hear the full tale with the Ring and Sauron and everything else that happened.

Soon, Sam was finished with the dishes, and he took Elanor by the hand and led her into the lounge where he sat her on his knee.

“Elanor, get yourself comfortable because this will be a lot for a young hobbit-lass to take in,” Sam said, trying to brace himself for the story. Thinking of and talking about Frodo was one thing, but talking about how much Frodo suffered while on their Quest still broke Sam’s heart completely. He hated feeling that helpless. Now Frodo was gone, and Sam   
had no idea if he would ever see him again.

Elanor shuffled around on Sam’s lap and told him to go on.

“Elanor, Mr. Frodo has gone to Valinor; the Grey Havens, the home of the elves. See, after and during the War of the Ring, Elves were leaving Middle-Earth to escape all the troubles. It is rather hard to explain, and I hope that you now understand a little better.”

“But why did he go to the Grey Havens?” Elanor looked at her father curiously.

“You see, Miss Elanor, the Ring would corrupt anyone who had it in their possession. Mr. Frodo had it in his possession for many years. He nearly ceased to exist because of it. But truly, it was in fact Gollum that actually destroyed the Ring. He and Mr. Frodo fought until they went over the cliff inside of Mount Doom. Mr. Frodo managed to grab onto the rock and Gollum fell to his death, taking the Ring with him. Me and Mr. Frodo were sure that we were going to die out on the rocks, but soon we saw giant eagles coming. They took us back to Gondor where we spent time recovering. That was the last of our journey, until we got back to the Shire.”

Elanor was starting to grow sleepy. “That’s sad, Da. Poor Mr. Frodo. Do you think you’ll see him again?” she yawned

“I don’t really know, Elanor. I may in time hopefully.”

After that, Elanor was ready for a nap, and took herself to her bedroom. When Sam asked if she would like any help, Elanor replied with no, saying that she was old enough to do it herself. Rosie had been listening to Sam tell his story to their daughter. She walked over to Sam who was smoking his pipe and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You did very well,” she whispered in his ear.

Sam turned around and caressed her cheek. “Thank you. It’s been difficult to talk about Mr. Frodo over the past few years, but I think that I am finally starting to move on from everything that happened. But I still miss him very much.”

Rosie sat down on Sam’s lap and hugged him tightly. “A bond as strong as what you and Mr. Frodo have is bound, Sam, it will never break. I think in due time, you will see him again, and it will be as if no time has passed at all, but time will have passed, and Frodo will have healed and be okay again. All the good things in life take time, Sam. You will see him again, I promise.” She kissed Sam’s forehead and rested her cheek on his soft golden hair.


	4. Mayoral Duties

Rosie Cotton was now well on her way with her fourth child. Sam and Rosie had been deciding on names. It was just a few weeks until the birth. Rosie’s stomach had grown larger than previous pregnancies, and doctor Pomperty had visited a few times, suspecting that Rosie might be carrying twins. This was a very rare case in hobbits. Only about three or four cases throughout all the existence of hobbits had there been a case of twins.

Elanor, Frodo, and Rose were all very excited, and were looking forward to the birth of their new sibling. All three of them slept in one room, but it was starting to become a bit crowded. If the new baby was a boy, Frodo would move out and into the smaller spare room in number two, but if the new born was to be a girl, well, they were trying to figure out  
what to do. Number Two was crowded enough as it was.

Rosie and Sam had often talked about moving when their family became too big for the small hole. Rosie had brought up one day what Frodo had said just before he left for The Grey Havens. “He said that you were his heir to Bag End, Sam, and that you could use it as you please. I think that now is the time where a big smial like that would come in handy.”

“I know, Rosie, I know it's just, I know Mr. Frodo left years ago, but I still feel like I would be protruding on his territory, so to speak. I know that we need to get a bigger home. This one is falling to bits and it won't last much longer,” Sam was looking out of the window and down the lane to Bag End. The vines around the windows had grown wild and were looking rather ragged. Frodo had told Sam to stop gardening at Bag End when he left as there would be no one living there, unless Sam took up Frodo's offer. 

Sam had continued to tend the gardens at Bag End until he finally started to let go of his job there. He took up gardening elsewhere, and though the new hobbits that Sam worked for were nice, none of them cared for Sam as Frodo had done, it was a bit of a shock, even if he had been expecting it. Frodo was special in that regard.

None of them got down on their hands and knees and helped him such as Frodo used to. They all just treated him as a gardener and nothing more. They rarely spoke to him, which made him feel sad sometimes. Merry and Pippin didn't come to visit as much as they used to, now that they had taken up other jobs; Pippin had become the Thain of Tookland, and Merry was now master of Brandyhall.

Sam turned around and looked at Rosie, having made his decision. “When the new baby is born, we will move into Bag End,” he said. “We should be able to make everything fit. I remember getting lost the first day I ever went in there as a small lad.” Tears filled Sam’s eyes, something that happened for a long time.

He moved away from the window and held Rosie's waist. “I love you,” he said. Rosie turned around and kissed him sweetly. They shared a passionate kiss before having to break away when they heard 'ew' from Elanor. Sam walked over and picked her up, smothering her in kisses. She fought until Sam put her down and she ran away. “I bet she won't run away when she falls in love,” Sam said as he walked back over to Rosie, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her again.

The next day pained Sam, as it always did. The date was September twenty second; Frodo's birthday. Sam always felt sad on this day, now that Frodo wasn’t here anymore. He had tried many times to get over it but he just couldn't, and Rosie knew that this day was special to Sam, even if it made him sad, so she would usually leave him to his thoughts. But today was different. Rosie had been experiencing stomach pains since early in the morning. Both Sam and Rosie had the feeling that their new baby was going to be born today.  
Sam sent for a messenger to send word to the Gamgee's family doctor Dr. Pomperty. He too suspected that today was the day of the new baby. He helped with the birth, and after a few hours, young Merry was born.

“Well, I did say that it could be twins, but it seems that I was wrong,” he said, chuckling. “It seems that little Merry wasn’t quite so little,” Pomperty said. He said goodbye to the Gamgee's after checking to make sure that Merry was healthy. But before he left he did say one thing.

“Are you still going to live here? I don't mean to be rude, but this hole is rather cluttered,” he said, looking around the small bedroom.

“No, doctor, we’re planning to move into Bag End,” Sam said. “Mr. Frodo Baggins made me his heir, and he said that I can move in whenever I fancy. Now that number two is becoming too small for our family, we’ve decided it’s time to move. Bag End is much bigger, after all.”

“You're moving into Bag End?” the doctor asked. “That will be an awful lot of work to be done to fix it up don't you think?” Doctor Pomperty looked down the lane at the slowly dilapidating Bag End.

“Well, I used to tend the gardens there, you see, I’ve been a gardener my whole life, and I was also Mr. Frodo's gardener for a very long time, right up until he left, so that’s why he made me his heir.”

“Yes, well, I hope that it all works out for you. Good day,” and with that, Pomperty left to go back to Bree.

That night, when Rosie and Sam had gone to bed, and Rosie was cradling Merry in her arms, Sam said something. “Today marks the third important birthday for this day; Mr. Bilbo's, Mr. Frodo's and now our little Merry's.” Rosie smiled at him and kissed his soft curls.

The next day, the whole of Hobbiton was called into the Green Dragon for a new mayor election. It was nearing the end of Will Whitfoot's current time as mayor, and it now had to be decided if he was going to continue his mayoral duties. There was just one other nominee; Samwise Gamgee had been nominated. Sam was astonished when he found out, and he quickly started preparing his speech.

Soon it came time for the election. Out the front of the Green Dragon there was a small sign. ‘Mayor Election today; Will Whitfoot, or Samwise Gamgee.’ Underneath, there was a small picture of each hobbit.

Sam walked into the pub and took his seat at the back of the small stage next to Will. “Good luck, Sam. I hope you win,” Will said.

Soon, everyone was seated. Rosie and the children were seated in the front row.

Before long, the two candidates were told to come onto the stage. Will's speech was relatively the same as it had been when he was previously nominated. Soon, it was time for Sam to make his speech.

“Uh, I’ve never really been good at speaking in public,” Sam said, nervously chuckling. “But, I will do my best.” Just as Sam was about to begin his speech, Rose ran up onto stage screaming 'Daddy!' Everyone laughed, and Sam quickly picked her up and set her down in Rosie's lap.

“Now, to begin,” Sam said, feeling himself become more relaxed. He began his speech, which turned out to be rather short and straight to the point. Soon, it was over, and people were told to go up to the podium, row by row, and in single file, to write down their vote and place it in the box. This took a long while, as these things usually do.

After a while, the hobbit that was hosting the election stood up again. “Thank you everyone for your votes. The election will be held here in a few weeks’ time when all the votes have been counted. There will be the usual ceremony for the winner. This might be the most anticipated election we’ve had yet. Thank you for your time, and I will see you all here again next week. Good day.”

The next week, everyone was gathered in the Green Dragon again. Sam was very nervous. His heart had been pounding heavily all day, and the night before. He didn't mind if he wasn't elected. Either way he was happy. Will, on the other hand, was rather easygoing. He had been through this before, so it wasn't really all that exciting to him as it had been the first time.

Again, there was a small banner on the door of the Green Dragon showing the two pictures of Will and Sam, but there was something a little different. There was another small script that said ‘The votes are in; who will win?’

“Welcome back everyone,” the same hobbit as before had stood up host the event and get things under procession. “I hope that you have all had a good week. The votes are close, and I thought it better to just get on with the point than rather drag it out.” There were a few rehearsed laughs from down the back. “Now, I would like to call up our candidates, Samwise Gamgee, and Will Whitfoot.” There was a loud, thunderous applause and cheers from everyone in the place.

Sam nervously got up onto the small stage and stood next to Will who shook his hand. “Good luck, Will,” Sam said with a smile. 

“Yes, and good luck to you too, Sam. You will make a fine mayor.'

“Thank you,” and with that, Sam turned to face the audience.

“And now,” The host said when the noise had died down. “The votes have been counted many times, and it is my very great pleasure to announce that the new mayor of the Shire will be Samwise Gamgee!” There was a huge round of applause and congratulations from people who made their way to Rosie and Sam'. Will shook Sam's hand and whispered in his ear. “I knew you would win.”

Sam was smiling broadly, and he looked over at Rosie who blew him a kiss. Frodo wriggled out of his mother's arms and ran up to his father who scooped him up. Sam was soon joined by the rest of the family, and he walked over with them all to where the host was standing just to make a short thank you speech. He was holding Rosie's hand.

“I would just like to say thank you all for voting for me, and that I will do my best as mayor.”

There was another huge applause. Sam walked out of the Green Dragon after a few ales and congratulations from various hobbits. Soon, the Gamgee's were back at home and enjoying the quietness.

“Rosie, I think we should move into Bag End in the next few weeks. I can fix it up a bit more before we actually move in, get rid of the vines and such.”

“Sam, that sounds like a wonderful plan,” Rosie said. “I’ll go and tell the others.” Rosie went into the kitchen and out of sight.

Sam was looking out at Bag End. Over the years, it had turned from being a nice and welcoming home to an abandoned little green door in the hillside, it almost felt ominous. The windows had been boarded up and it no longer looked like Bag End; but more of a haunted house ever since Sam had discontinued his gardening on the property.

Sam sighed and tilted his head up. Well Mr. Frodo, the time to take you up on your offer has come. Thank you.” He turned around and was greeted by his children and Rosie. Merry was grabbing at him with outstretched hands from Rosie’s arms. Sam took him from Rosie, and the baby hobbit began to poke and prod his father’s nose.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!


End file.
